The Reachman: Dayan's Riders
by Bootstrap Bill
Summary: Under the rule of a pretender to the throne, Tamriel is broken a vision of its former self. But long before dusk fell on White Gold Tower, before the ashen filled skies of Kvatch and echoing war drums of the Daedric hordes, there were the Riders.
1. Chapter 1 Part 1

_Taken away from his home at a young age, the Reachman, then only little older than a child, was forced into a live of service to Breton nobles. For years did he toil and endure the hardships of slavery at the cruel hands of his masters. As fortune would have it, the selfish endeavours of a certain Daggerfall baron took the Reachman far from the eyes of his master to the Bosmer homeland of Valenwood where he would cross paths with the most unlikely assortment of individuals… _

_- Excerpt from The Reachman - _

**1**

**22 Frostfall 3E422, Thirty miles outside of Silvenar, Valenwood**

The air was uncomfortably humid and every breath was taken with concerted effort. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead into his eyes. The salty liquid made them sting. Droplets of rainwater ran slowly across his lips to the corners of his mouth. His face was completely soaked and it felt as if a thousand insects were crawling all over him. He knew that slight movements would probably not compromise his position, but he preferred not to make the mistake of growing complacent and didn't scratch away his itch, or wipe away the sting. Instead he retreated to the inner sanctity of deep thought whisking himself away to open plains of tall grass. Cool dry air whirled around him and the grass swayed in all directions. The beating wings of birds complimented the sound of a family of deer racing across the ground.

Dayan opened his eyes. The stinging returned, the itching intensified, and he realized the pitter-patter of deer feet were in fact small stones being thrown at him. The Redguard cocked his head sharply to the right, ascending his gaze upwards to a large twisting branch in a nearby tree. Dayan had to squint to find his spotter. The Bosmer certainly were masters of camouflage. Elgamil, Dayan's spotter, removed her gloves revealing her unnaturally bright skin easily spotted amongst the overwhelming green and brown colours which dominated Valenwood's undisturbed forests. Dayan concentrated on interpreting Elgamil's message relayed through a pre-arranged system of hand signals: Two fingers pointing to the eyes, five fingers and two raised arms; four fingers, a closed fist and a wave-like motion; five fingers, a closed fist, and crossed arms. _She sees fifty troops on foot, five carriages and fourty ships. Wait, fourty ships?_

From along the expected route, the only semi-paved road in the immediate area leading from Cyrodiil province inland to Valenwood, he could hear the sound of the approaching caravan and apparently their _naval escort._ He distinguished the squeaking metal of rotating axles as they bumped and banged along the uneven road, over fallen trees and across mounds of leaves and other vegetation. _Fifty on foot, only about thirty armed, three covered carriages, two buggy carts loaded with goods, and four platoons of mounted cavalry. Where the heck did Elgamil get ships from?_ Dayan surmised that either he or Elgamil had forgotten the proper signal for horses.

Two Bosmer were leading the convoy, native guides hired for their knowledge of the land. Several feet behind them were their armed escorts marching drudgingly in military rank and file. _I guess they weren't going for a stealthy transit._ Their armour clanked with every step and from the look of their faces he could tell they had probably not rested since crossing the border. Tied to the rear of the carriages were a number of individuals, slaves, lashed together by the neck and walking in single file. The mounted soldiers trotted along in the back. Occasionally a horse would get startled and rile the surrounding animals up in a small frenzy before their riders calmed them back down. The canopy of the jungle was so immensely thick that the bright light of the sun was reduced to a mere glow. Steam rose from the ground swirling and bending with the wind, only seen when beams of light penetrated through the jungle canopy above.

Another one of the horses was startled as the shadow of a figure dashed across the trees from high above the convoy. This was the signal Dayan was waiting for. Moving methodically, he drew back on the drawstring of his bow and let loose an arrow into the neck of the lead cavalry soldier.

"_Ambush! Ambush!_" One of the guards yelled as more cavalrymen and infantry dropped to the ground dead or incapacitated.

The mounted soldiers reared on their horses, trotting in circles looking for the enemy to charge. He drew another arrow from his quiver and fired into a foot soldier's chest. In his periphery he saw a blur of brown and gold move swiftly from a high branch down upon the confused foot soldiers. Three infantrymen were tossed into the air as if they were pieces of rubbish. Another was flung backwards into the first carriage, the wood splintered and crunched as the roof collapsed under the weight of his armoured body. The blur descended without hesitation upon the surviving infantry and they were mercilessly hacked to pieces. A barrage of arrows pelted the cavalrymen, horses and riders alike cried out in pain before falling dead to the ground.

When the fighting stopped, Dayan could see the slaves were untouched, but extremely frightened, seeking refuge underneath the carriages they were tied to.

"All clear!"

He stood up from his position behind a large tree and proceeded down towards the wreckage. Where the infantry platoon had been moments earlier, a Khajiit now stood smiling proudly.

"Good work Toji." Dayan commended.

The Khajiit sheathed his dual scimitars and began to rummage through the dead.

From all around the ambush site the rest of _Dayan's Riders_ emerged. Dayan removed his blade and cut the tether binding the slaves.

"Don't worry you're free now." Dayan extended his hand to a Breton woman.

She was nervous at first, but soon understood the situation and wrapped her arms around the Redguard. A few moments passed before all of his team assembled before him. Dayan released his embrace from the Breton woman.

"Good work men! We did a good thing here today. Let's get these poor souls back home!"

* * *

"_Let's get these poor souls back home?_ What kind of sap do you take me for?"

"You don't believe me?"

"Not on your _hundred _year old ass."

"One hundred and two, _but thanks for the compliment_."

The old Dunmer smiled, pleased with the exceptional observational skills the young author possessed.

"Why don't you believe me?" She asked.

"Please! That's the crap you'd expect to hear in a…_storybook!_ The heroic Redguard leads a band of righteous warriors in a flawless ambush to save a couple of _slaves? _Doubtful."

"You don't think there are good people in the world Mister Finn?"

"Yes there are people like that, but I get the feeling that _Dayan_, did I get his name right? Dayan was not one of them. And neither were you."

It was provocative and perhaps impolite, but after years of conducting investigations, poking and prodding into the annals of history, Sean discovered the only way to uncover the truth was to be a bit _abrasive _at times.

"Harsh …_but true._"The Dunmer faced away from Sean.

"Can you please just level with me? I'm not here to judge you."

"Very well _Mister Finn_."


	2. Chapter 1 Part 2

"_Dayan wasn't always the leader of our group. Our original commander was a Breton named Guilbert." _

"_You were a military unit of some sort?" _

"_No, I use the term commander lightly. He was more like the bastard we all bit our tongues and worked for to make bundles of money. He had a number of contacts across the southern provinces and always got the best jobs for us, but he was a revolting individual who took no value in our lives. We were a means to an end, and the end was always coin. He often put us into situations with impossible odds, which didn't matter to him because we were expendable." _

"_He sounds like a real bastard. Where is Roe in all this?" _

"_Not yet young author, but we're getting there…"_

_

* * *

_

Chaos. Pure unadulterated overwhelming chaos. Dayan suspected that Guilbert, upon seeing the vast amounts of well-armed soldiers and cavalry, triggered the ambush early out of panic. Guilbert was always the first to fire, the signal prompting the start of an ambush. The Breton was a savvy businessmen and an okay fighter, but a lousy shot. His arrow sailed through the air like a wet pair of pants and landed on the jungle floor in front of a foot soldier. Unfortunately, because Guilbert initiated the attack early, the rest of the team was unprepared and the ensuing ambush was disorganized and sloppy. The infantrymen immediately formed a defensive dome made from their circular metal shields, protecting themselves from the storm of arrows that soon followed. The quickness and methodical formation of the classic _boulder defense _was a sign that these troops were Legion trained, if not actual Legionnaires. Only the ankles and feet of the infantry soldiers were exposed, however they too were protected with iron and steel knee-high greaves.

"Come on _gods dammit!_ Charge!"

A number of mercenaries foolishly charged forward towards the wall of shields, their swords and battle axes raised high above their heads. These mercenaries were not a part of the group Dayan served with. They belonged to an outfit Guilbert hired to help with this particular job. The soldiers, safe within their dome, held their position as the mercenaries recklessly advanced. Like a great sea monster opening its mouth to devour a ship, the wall of shields opened revealing six sharply pointed spears. The spears pierced torsos and necks and three mercenaries were instantly killed. The fourth managed to slow his momentum and was only impaled in the gut. Just seconds later, two more spears finished him off with stabs to the chest. Dayan was extremely impressed, and worried, by the elite precision these soldiers fought with. So quick did this all transpire that Dayan missed the opportunity to fire an arrow in the opening of the shield dome.

A second wave of five more mercenaries charged forward towards the dome's right flank. In the same manner as before, the shield wall opened and from the gap emerged a number of spears some of them stained with blood. This time Dayan was prepared, already in a full sprint moving down from his spot on a hill overlooking the dirt road. Avoiding the arrow fire from his companions, Dayan crossed the dirt road and found cover in a small ditch. From this vantage point he had a clear shot of the gap in the shield wall and wasted no time in exploiting this weakness.

Dayan could tell the shot from his bow was successful when one of the large metal shields recoiled and eventually fell from its position. With the second wave of mercenaries now dead and dying on the jungle floor, the infantry soldiers closed their wall, but failed to notice gap left by the missing shield. Before they could remedy the problem, another of Dayan's ebony arrows sailed through into the opening and a second shield fell. Dayan repeated the process as fast as he could. From other positions hidden among the thick foliage, more arrows penetrated the widening gap. The soldiers hiding behind their shields desperately fought to reform the dome, trying not to trip over the bodies of their fallen comrades. The shield dome _leviathan_ recoiled backwards as if wounded. Realizing the futility of their defense, the infantry soldiers broke off to engage in individual combat with their aggressors. Dayan, caught off guard by this desperate maneuver dropped his bow and drew his blade.

Toji Va'Rikijin, longtime employee of Guilbert, Dayan's teammate and avid _moon sugar_ addict, leapt (or rather fell) from a branch high above the ambush site and landed in the middle of the infantrymen. The Khajiit looked malnourished and his fur was patted down drenched in sweat and rainwater. Toji was a sorry individual who lived for nothing but moon sugar, sex, and killing – mostly moon sugar. In his paws were two of the scariest looking blades Dayan had ever seen, _golden scimitars_ much like the one he carried only much larger.

The Khajiit mercilessly carved a path through the unprepared infantry soldiers slicing at their backs and necks. Each time his mighty blade cut into an opponent, Toji let loose a bloodcurdling roar. Like most Khajiit he was very nimble and quick. He easily somersaulted and contorted his body to avoid retaliatory slashes. The infantrymen fell to the ground spurting blood from their wounds, trying to clutch limbs that were no longer there. Dayan held his position, aware that Toji sometimes could not discern friend from foe when he was in a murderous rage.

A soldier fleeing from Toji's carnage ran unknowingly towards Dayan. The Redguard was less bloodthirsty than his Khajiit counterpart and dispatched the soldier with a kick to the back of his knee and a strike from the pommel of his sword to the man's right temple. The soldier fell to the ground unconscious. By any amount of good fortune he would survive if he could remain still until the battle was over. Dayan gathered himself and watched Toji finish off the remaining soldiers before collapsing from exhaustion. He rushed to the Khajiit's side but did not touch him, fearful he might be mistaken for an enemy. Once Dayan was convinced Toji was alive, he continued towards the rear of the convoy where the remaining mercenaries were finishing off the surviving cavalrymen.

_Boom!_ One of the riders was dismounted with a bolt of lightning to the chest. _Boom! Boom!_ The humid jungle air was electrified with every subsequent blast. _Crack! Boom!_ Another cavalry soldier was sent flying through the air and impacted the base of a large tree. The soldier sizzled as electricity coarsed through his body. Dayan saw another member of his team, the female Dunmer named Sasha, was the source of these magical attacks. Her mastery of _destruction magic_ was impressive. In one hand she fired bolts of lighting and with the other she blew scorching hot fire. The flames scared the horses, some bucking their riders to the ground. Flanking her on both sides were two more of his teammates, the Nord Jayred "Ice Veins" and the Orc Mogakh gro-Oram. As the cavalry riders fell, the Orc and Nord quickly thrust their battle-axes upon them with deadly untamed ferocity. The cavalrymen's armour crunched unable to withstand the blow of a well forged steel axe.

The dirt road was too narrow for the cavalry soldiers to make an organized charge. One by one the mounted soldiers were killed either by fire, lightning, axe, or arrow. Sasha, Jayred and Mogakh walked down the trail leaving dead and wounded animals and men behind them. Dayan tried not to look at the wounded soldiers' faces as he thrust his sword into their chests to finish them off. The reason Dayan preferred his bow was to avoid having to humanize all of the people he killed. From a distance they were just bodies, but up close they were actual people.

At the end of the caravan, the Dunmer, Nord and Orc checked themselves over for wounds. Dayan thankfully didn't have to finish off more than a few wounded soldiers. The noisy jungle grew silent. His team needed to begin cleaning up the site and getting ready to leave before any reinforcements arrived. This sense of urgency and professionalism was why _Guilbert's Riders_, as the Breton liked to call his team, had survived for so long against rival mercenary groups, bandits, and the native folk of the southern provinces. Dayan suspected after this latest ambush, they could add yet another faction to their growing list of enemies.

The Riders were a forced collection of unique individuals; a veritable prison with no walls where Guilbert was the _warden_ and the _prisoners_ wielded the weapons. Everyone in the group had their own reasons for this indentured service though it was taboo for anyone to speak about it. In three years, Toji was the only Rider to mention his sentence – the Khajiit owed a lot of money to _moon sugar _dealers. Dayan could thank his compulsive gambler of a brother, Amir, for his time in the Riders.

The Redguard knelt down beside one of the dead Legionnaires and wiped the blood off his blade using the man's tunic. A few moments passed and the natural sounds of the jungle slowly overcame the silence. Guilbert was nowhere to be heard or found – Dayan wasn't sure if this was necessarily a bad thing.

"Sasha, Jayred – head up the road and check to see if anyone else is coming." Dayan ordered. "Mogakh, secure our right and tell my brother to take the left. I'm going to find Guilbert."

Without a word everyone split off to complete their assignments.

Dayan covered his nose and mouth trying to block out the putrescent smell of death as he traversed back towards the center of the ambush site, searching the ground along the way for any signs of Guilbert. What remained of the second mercenary team was already scrounging valuables off the bodies of the dead cavalry and infantry soldiers. Their fixation on these insignificant items showed how ignorant these soldiers-for-hire were. Morally, Dayan had no illusions that he was just as morally rotten as they were, but the professionalism of the _Riders_ made them a coveted asset in the underground conflicts of Valenwood.

Since King Llethan of Morrowind repealed the Tribunal ban on settlement and trade in Valenwood eight years ago, a mass influx of goods and business had poured in to the land of the Bosmer. From all across the Empire, merchants, traders, craftsman, and employees of small and large businesses alike all rushed to stake their claims and monopolize business with the native _Wood Elves_. These businesses vied for control of everything from importing lumber, to providing workers for construction projects. With such a large monetary effort vested in the modernization of Valenwood, military presence became a necessity.

Fighters Guild members were the first non-Legion soldiers to accept work during the influx. They served as ground guides and bodyguards assigned to escort caravans along trade routes and safeguard building sites. For a number of years the Fighters Guild flourished even receiving Charters to safeguard Imperial goods. These seasoned warriors did well to protect against disorganized bandits and marauders, but struggled when groups of retired soldiers and experienced mercenaries began to emerge. Soldier-of-fortune units like Guilbert's found themselves on the payrolls of big business hired to sabotage and destroy the competition. Aggressive negotiations, competitive pricing and the occasional case of commercial espionage were standing operating methods. In the untamed wilderness of Valenwood, businesses sometimes resorted to less conventional means.

It was commonplace for mercenaries, marauders and bandits to trade out armour and weapons with dead enemy – the _spoils of war_. These mercenaries hadn't realized it yet, but the bodies that littered the jungle floor were not just ordinary hired help. Dayan recognized a unique tattoo on the arms of several of the dead soldiers – a red lion standing on two legs with outstretched claws and an ornate tail. These soldiers were knights in service to the _Duke of Poitevin_, a small duchy in High Rock, dressed differently to accommodate the harsh environmental conditions of Valenwood. He did think it a bit odd they chose not to wear any identifying clothing or armour, a sign that the cargo was either very important or _very illegal_.

As the mercenaries scavenged banged up armour and scratched weapons, Dayan poked his head into one of the covered wagons. The canvas covering was torn with holes from arrow fire, but the goods seemed undamaged. Underneath a thick cowhide blanket and a feather mattress were eleven wooden crates emblazoned with the Imperial Seal. They were secured by brass latches and a thick padlock no sword could cut through. This was the actual objective of their mission. Searching the second covered wagon revealed a similar cargo, eight crates secured and hidden in the same manner. Guilbert's contact refused to divulge what was being transported in the crates and the second mercenary team was not to even _know_ about this special cargo. Dayan innocently covered them back up and continued his search of the bodies.

Elgamil stood with Toji who had awoken from his murder-induced coma, giggling and speaking as cordially as if they were out for a walk in the city plaza on a sunny day. Neither seemed too concerned about the piles of dead bodies surrounding them.

"Elgamil, I need you up in the tress on look-out, we could have more troops on the way."

"I want to help find Guilbert! He _loves _it when we play hide and seek!"

"You can look for him up in one those _trees_ right?"

"Dayan!" The Bosmer playfully pushed the Redguard. "You know that would be cheating."

The Bosmer was a fierce and respected warrior but just as crazy as Toji. Rumours among the Riders circulated a gruesome tale of how the tiny Bosmer went insane and ate her family before fleeing to Elsweyr. Dayan was in no mood for her usual games.

"I need you up top so –"

Elgamil grabbed Dayan gently by the chin, squeezing his cheeks together like a fish. She turned the Redguard's face to the side and hushed him with a finger over her lips.

"_He's sleeping…_"

Dayan felt a chill go up his spine. The body of Dayan's boss, the Breton named Guilbert, lay motionless on the jungle floor. Around his neck was a tether tied several times around his neck, pulled so tight that it cut into his flesh. He could tell Guilbert had been dead for several minutes, probably killed early on in the ambush. His face was bloated and white, his lips were blue and eyes open. From where the tether penetrated into Guilbert's neck blood oozed out soaking the Breton's shirt collar. What surprised Dayan the most was that neither Elgamil nor Toji chose to do anything about the individual _still pulling_ _on the tether_.

He wasn't sure who, or what, he was looking at. A beast? Animal? Boy? Its skin was a faint brown like a Redguard and it was bald with the exception of a small tuft of red hair tied in a top knot like an Orc's. One of its ears had been almost entirely cut off leaving a deformed mess of skin. It looked like it had at one time been muscular, but malnutrition and abuse ravaged the teenager's body. The boy's chest, arms and legs were covered in curly red hair and its face was beaten and worn. He guessed the boy was at least seventeen years of age.


	3. Chapter 2

**2**

Sasha and Jayred returned from their scouting mission.

"There's another convoy on the way." Sasha reported panting heavily. "Armed infantry and cavalry just like this one. They'll be here inside of ten minutes. Are you sure we hit the right one Dayan?"

"Where's Guilbert?" Jayred interjected.

Dayan was now examining the condition of two of the covered wagons knowing they would be the only way his team could deliver the crates to their buyer in Falinesti. Of the three wagons in the caravan, two were loaded with crates and one with provisions. Unfortunately the wagon with the eleven crates had three broken wheels. The crates would need to be moved to a different wagon. Whatever was inside the locked cases was too heavy to be carried by hand and too large to be strapped to a saddlebag.

"We need to leave! Where's Guilbert?" Sasha repeated.

"Dead."

"Then can we leave?" Sasha asked not showing the slightest concern.

Dayan checked the neck yokes and harnesses of the third wagon. All of the horses in the caravan were either dead or claimed by the second mercenary team, but the Riders had their own stationed just a few hundred yards away.

"You and Amir go get the horses and tie them into this wagon and that one over there." Dayan pointed.

The Dunmer nodded in understanding and took off running into the jungle. Dayan whistled and waved his hands in the air, signaling the remainder of his team to converge by the wagons. Elgamil, Jayred, and Mogakh joined Dayan in moving the eleven crates into a new wagon. When Sasha returned with the horses, they yoked them in. The other mercenary team, so caught up in looting the high quality armour of their dead foes, failed to notice their activity or the crates.

"What's going on?" Toji asked, strolling nonchalantly past his teammates.

Dayan could not stop his work to reprimand the Khajiit though it would have made little difference because Toji only answered to Guilbert. The Breton held an endless supply of moon sugar over the strung out Khajiit making him more of a pet than employee.

"Go help Jayred tie the horses up!" Amir ordered.

"Relax! He's got help."

Toji was tossing around a small canvas pouch in his paws. Dayan recognized it as Guilbert's moon sugar stash.

"Who is helping him?" Dayan was a bit concerned now.

"The guy." Toji answered.

"What guy?"

"_The guy that killed Guilbert._"

"Guilbert is dead?" Mogakh asked the Redguard with great surprise.

Dayan stopped working and rushed over to where Jayred was supposed to be harnessing in the horses on the other wagon. He found Jayred bent over one of the bodies of the dead soldiers, removing the man's clothes.

"Here, put 'em on."

Jayred handed the items to the slave who eagerly accepted the bundle and began to dress himself. Dayan figured the odd looking boy for a Nord though his height made him think otherwise. The crest of his head was even with Jayred's shoulders at just below six feet in height. The clothes were a bit too small. His pant legs were hiked up by his ankles.

"Don't worry, we'll get some better clothes in Falinesti." Jayred comforted much like a father to his son.

Dayan was very surprised by Jayred _Ice Vein's_ compassion. The Nord searched the body of a second soldier, removed a sabre with sheath, and handed it to the slave.

"Are you crazy Jayred!" Dayan exclaimed, snatching the sabre from Jayred's hand. "He killed Guilbert!"

"That makes him a hero in my book. Probably a lot of other books too. _I wish I could read._"

Jayred and Dayan turned and looked at the slave boy sitting patiently in the driver's seat of the wagon.

"Besides, I couldn't figure out how to get the damn harness on."

Dayan noticed that his argument had attracted the attention of one of the mercenaries. Donned in freshly stolen armour, the Breton approached him.

"Oy! You just say Guilbert is dead."

"Is that a question or a statement?" Dayan joked, not smiling.

"If he's dead, how do we and me boys get paid?"

_Yes, how indeed?_ Dayan thought.

"Our contractor for this job is located in Arenthia, a Cyrod fellow named William. Ride ahead and he'll give you your cut. We need to stay here and bury Guilbert." Dayan lied, trying to look upset.

The mercenary was sympathetic and patted Dayan on the shoulder.

"It's a tough business brother, we all gotta die sometime." The mercenary consoled.

"Thank you, you better get going before someone shows up. Head up the road that way and you'll be in Arenthia in a few hours." Dayan directed, sending the remaining mercenaries towards the approaching armed caravan.

It was a dastardly trick, but it would buy the Riders some time to escape. The mercenary shook Dayan's hand, and then Jayred's before gathering up his men and leaving. In a few minutes the mercenaries were out of sight and Sasha signaled that both wagons were loaded up. The ambush site was well behind them when Dayan and the Riders could hear the sounds of the mercenaries being slaughtered.

* * *

"How's that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is it less like a…storybook?"

Sasha and Sean were now seated around a table in the foyer of the Tiber Septim Hotel. The barkeep and residents were all asleep, and Sean was desperately fighting the urge to join them. He rubbed his eyes and stretched while yawning.

"Or is this more like a bedtime story?" Sasha inquired crossing her legs.

"No! No…earlier I was…well…"

"A jackass?"

Sean smiled and nodded. "Yes."

"But you were correct, I was lying before."

"Are you now?"

The Dunmer leaned back in her seat and put her hand hands together, as if she were praying. Sean proceeded to steer the conversation in a new direction.

"Tell me more about the Riders."

"What would you like to know?"

"What happened after Guilbert died? Now that the _warden_ was dead, did you decide to disband?"

"Before Guilbert died, we, the Riders I mean, had been together for about three years. While we all collectively _hated _Guilbert we grew accustomed to one another even becoming so much as friends."

"So you stayed together?" Sean asked.

"We saw no reason not to. The money was good and there wasn't much else to do. None of us could see ourselves returning to a 'normal' existence. Amir knew the contacts and ran the books as he had done under Guilbert and Dayan became our leader. Nobody resented the idea of taking orders from him."

"And what of this young _slave boy_? You took him along with you?"

"That we did."

"Who was he?"

"We didn't know. At the time, he didn't speak a word of Cyrodilic – actually he rarely spoke at all during those first few years with us. He did seem to understand the language well enough."

"So he couldn't even tell you his name?" Sean asked surprised.

"Nope, Jayred named him _Roe_. It means _red _in Nordic, on account of all the red hair he had all over his body. We thought he was half troll until Elgamil decided to give a trim."

"So Jayred looked to him like a son?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. We all did really." Sasha nodded.

"What did he do in the Riders?"

"He took care of the gear, cooked and cleaned up camp, looked after the horses, that kind of thing. Remember he was only a teenager when we found him so we couldn't really rely on him to fight until he was a bit older. Most importantly though, Roe was an amazing alchemist and commanded a great knowledge of restoration magic. Dayan actually made each of us forfeit ten percent of our earnings so he could purchase equipment for Roe."

"Like what?"

"Flasks, calcinators, _exotic ingredients_ and what not. Roe whipped up some helpful potions and saved all of our asses plenty of times with his _magic hands_." Sasha laughed.

"Did Roe ever learn to fight? Did you train him in destruction or did Jayred teach him how to use a blade or axe?"

Sasha spent a few seconds thinking before she answered.

"After Toji got well, Elgamil trained him. Roe was a natural hunter and possessed strong scouting skills, but he wasn't able to use destruction magicka nor was he proficient with a blade or axe. He sure could use a staff though!"

"Like a magic staff?"

"Oh no, like a stick."

Sean jotted the description of the Riders' hairy companion into his notebook. He was compiling a profile of all the names and events Sasha mentioned. He was unsure of what the old Dunmer could offer in regards to his investigation but it was clear she knew quite a bit. The young author furrowed his brow in confusion. Sasha stood, wrapped her arm around his and escorted him out of the Tiber Septim Hotel. The air was cold and the sky was orange and pink as morning approached.

"Don't get too upset Mister Finn, there's still more to tell."


	4. Chapter 3

**3**

**23 Midyear 3E427, Sixty-seven miles outside of Helstrom, Argonia**

The smell of smoldering flames woke Roe from his sleep. The fire cracked and fizzled as water was poured into the pit. The noise startled him and he drew his dagger from its sheath.

"Get ready Roe, we still got about a days ride to Helstrom." Sasha offered a hand to Roe. "Dayan wants us gone in fifteen."

Roe sheathed his dagger and was helped onto his feet. It was before sunrise and Roe's legs wobbled like a new born calf. Sasha smiled and gave him a more than friendly wink before she left to collect her things. Roe hesitantly released his grip on her wrist.

From across their campsite, Dayan watched Roe break down camp. He always suspected that Sasha was attracted to Roe despite her being fourteen years his senior, at least in _Elf years_. Romance wasn't exactly one of his strong points though he was fairly certain that Roe felt the same way about Sasha ever since he first met her and the rest of the team in Valenwood almost five years ago. When the original team commander, Guilbert, first adopted the name _Riders_ there were eleven members in the group. Seven years later only eight remained including Roe.

After Guilbert was killed, he was elected to assume leadership of the Riders while his brother Amir would continue to run the logistics and finances. The two were Redguards from the _Alik'r Desert_ in Hammerfell. Dayan had served in the Imperial Legion as a counter-guerilla soldier using his knowledge of desert survival to aid the foreigners. During his last tour of duty he was transferred to an outpost on the Cyrodiil-Valenwood border. Upon leaving the service he sent for his brother to join him so that the two might begin careers as treasure hunters. His brother was four years his junior with a maturity level much younger than that. Amir soon found himself in enormous debt as a result of his love for gambling. Unable to repay the money, Amir offered his services as a hired bodyguard until this debt was settled. Dayan couldn't in good conscience allow his only brother to be used in such a manner and struck a deal that if he too were to offer his services that the debt would be halved. For three years Dayan and Amir served as Guilbert's _public escort_. The Breton thought it improved his image with two exotic _Redguard nomads _by his side. Amir and Dayan were always required to carry their weapons and dress in their traditional armour, head and face coverings included. This made for extreme discomfort as most of their operations took place in the humid tropical climates of the southern provinces.

One year into their indentured service, Mogakh gro-Oram, Toji Va'Rikijin and Elgamil joined the payroll. Mogakh had traveled all the way from Orsinium in search of some good fighting and was the only one in the Riders not to have owed Guilbert anything. He simply enjoyed the challenging contracts and the professionalism of his teammates. The Bosmer Elgamil and the Khajiit Toji Va'Rikijin, had fought together as partners for many years prior to their time in the Riders. Like Dayan, Elgamil joined out of sympathy for her friend when Toji became addicted to moon sugar. The Khajiit wasted several years' worth of earnings purchasing the narcotic and paid off his debt through service to Guilbert. The Breton purposefully kept Toji addicted, citing that _"…the cat-man is a much better fighter when he's high…" _

A few weeks into their second year of service, Guilbert received the services of a Nord with a drinking problem and a Dunmer in need of a new beginning. The Nord was Jayred "Ice Veins", a typical stereotype of his people: an axe-wielding drunk, massively strong, and easy to anger. He was an expert sharpshooter proficient in the use of a bow and very sneaky for his size. In addition to his fondness for killing he had an unhealthy obsession with meat, engorging himself on whatever game or pheasant he could hunt and picking away at every last piece of meat down to the bone marrow. The Dunmer _Sasha_ fled Morrowind when she was just a teenager and met Guilbert while he was working a contract in Cyrodiil. She held her personal appearance and the maintenance of her weapons in high standard which led to rumours she was escaped royalty or the like. No one ever knew for sure because she never spoke of it. Regardless of whatever she used to do, what she did now was something amazing displaying a mastery of hand to hand combat and _destruction magic_. She was well educated and also the only member of the team older than he was, by three months.

Three weeks after Sasha joined the group, Guilbert named himself leader of _Guilbert's Riders_. In years that followed, the Breton would hire additional mercenaries including another Breton, Camilla, who died in Elsweyr, an Argonian the other members of the group called _Okeedokee_ (for his fondness of the word) who ran off into Argonia never to return, and an Cyrod named Castus Aurencia who left the group for personal reasons.

Guilbert's Riders were a commodity because of the prowess and knowledge in all things relating to combat, acquisition, reconnaissance and _forced persuasion_. The contracts they accepted were difficult, but the Riders always managed to get the job done while maintaining a reputation of subtlety and client anonymity. When Guilbert died, the Riders unanimously decided to continue their work (with slight modifications to how and with whom they did business). There was of course, no demand to end the flow of coin.

Roe's position in the group was still evolving. He was not as well versed in martial arts as his teammates were, but Camilla had been the only Rider with knowledge of restoration and she died long before Roe began tagging along. Roe found himself in a support role, serving as a smith, cook, healer, and alchemist. When Dayan decided it was time for Toji to detoxify himself of his moon sugar addiction, Roe concocted a brilliant potion made from, ironically, moon sugar and pearls. In just one year Toji was back to full health and just as fierce a fighter. The day Toji emerged from his tent a coherent and much cleaner individual, Roe was hoisted into the air with praise and welcomed as the newest _Rider_. Elgamil was so thankful for Roe's help that she took it upon herself to teach him marksmanship, knife fighting, sneaking and camouflage techniques. By the time he was twenty years of age he was earning a full share of the profits as well as taking a full share of the danger.

Dayan could tell that his teammates were nearly prepared for their journey to the Argonian jungle-city of Helstrom. The ride would take most of the day, leaving just enough time for Dayan to meet with his contact Toby Pilson.

* * *

After almost eight hours of riding, the dense jungle finally seemed to be thinning out. The Riders showed visible fatigue. Even Dayan and Amir, who as nomads were accustomed to long journeys on horseback, were glad to be free from the thickets. The Redguards understood that while there was a sense of urgency to arrive at their destination on time, the horses dictated speed and length of travel. In the Argonian homeland a rider had to factor in climate conditions such as temperature and humidity as well as topographical circumstances like thick vegetation, marshes, bogs, and other impassible terrain. If careful planning was not taken, travelers were almost certain to become lost.

Dayan and the Riders were two hours past their final resting point, a fairly unimpressive halfway home wayside to a long abandoned and overgrown trail and were under one hour away from Helstrom. The city was nestled in a valley with a large river flowing through the jungle to the north, around the town to the east and down south emptying into a large bay. From their vantage point a few hundred feet high above the valley, the Riders could see the city; an oasis of civilization among a sea of green trees and brown river water. Helstrom was surrounded by a wooden palisade securing within it an abundance of mud-clay brick huts and several buildings with reed thatched roofs billowing smoke from their chimneys. The southern portion of the city was a large harbour open to the bay. As the sun began to set behind the valley walls, Dayan could see the hundreds of small fishing boats pulling in for the day.

Because the harbour was outside of the palisade, it was regarded as out of the city guards' jurisdiction. A few Argonian thugs hired by local gangs, roamed the docks armed with clubs and fishing spears. The real guardsmen were huddled in their safe zone by the city gates keeping tight control of what passed through. Fortunately for Dayan, he would not need to enter the city. If Toby Wilson was still in Helstrom he would be in the darkest corner of the crappiest run-down bar on the docks.

* * *

"Dayan!"

"Toby." The Redguard replied coldly.

"Please sit, you want a drink? Maybe a meal? My treat! Come on!"

Dayan's _doyen, _business contractor, was elbow deep in a plate of crabs, his fingers coated with butter and speckled with bits of meat.

"No thank you."

Unlike his predecessor, Dayan conducted his business in a professional manner, arriving to meetings on time and always getting straight to business. Having been three weeks since the Riders completed their last contract, funds were running low. Amir and Dayan knew there weren't many doyens to be found in the Argonian homeland, at least any who could pay the Riders' asking price. Dayan secretly regretted having to accept jobs through Toby.

Toby Pilson was a Bosmer by birth and an Imperial citizen by naturalization. He had spent much of his life in the Imperial City living off of his parents' money. Always the entrepreneur and self-serving scumbag he first began as a _skooma dealer_ selling the deadly poison but never using. Eventually he expanded his repertoire to include illegal batches of whiskey, outlawed potions, and other narcotics like _moon sugar_. It was Toby who offered Toji's indentured service to Guilbert several years ago after he had hooked the Khajiit on the drug.

This alone would have been enough for Dayan to run him through with a blade, but Toby was connected and well funded. The Bosmer received percentages of profits made on all contracts in north-central Argonia. Killing him would only result in Dayan losing a large client base.

"You're always so serious! Drink with me! Cyrodilic Brandy, two glasses!" The Bosmer ordered.

"I said _no thank you_ Toby."

"I wasn't asking _Redguard_." Even for a Bosmer, Toby was an intimidating fellow.

His two Orc bodyguards were also a menacing sight to behold, but Dayan kept his cool and accepted the drink. The sanguine liquid burned Dayan's throat as he gulped it down.

"Now, on to business my _dark skinned_ friend."

"I am available for a contract."

"Which is why you've come to me I imagine?" Toby joked leaning back in his chair.

"Yes."

"You always come to good ole Toby don't you? Toby gets you the best because…well _you _and your _bestial_ group of lowlifes _are_ the best. Send an _animal _to do _animal _labour eh? Like my good friend the cat-man and his _whore_." Toby licked his fingers and washed it down with a gulp of mead. "_How disgusting. _But not you and I my friend! We're sophisticated types. That's why we feast on Brandy and crab and plot and scheme while that collection of _pigs _you work with feed from the trough. So while the swine dine, let us be civil and talk of business."

The Bosmer picked up a piece of crab meat and greedily shoved it inside his mouth, chewing noisily to annoy Dayan. He picked up another piece and dangled it like a worm on a hook in front of the Redguard.

"I give you work, you do the work." Toby smiled. "I dangle the cheese and the _rat _eats the cheese, yes?"

Dayan drew his dagger and stabbed the large crab sitting half-eaten on Toby's plate. The table shook violently spilling pieces of meat and drops of butter and mead. Toby and Dayan locked eyes. The Redguard brought the crab to his mouth and took a large bite, then placed the dead crustacean back onto Toby's plate and sheathed his blade. Several tense moments of slow chewing passed. Dayan swallowed his bite, then reached across the table and pulled the plate away from Toby.

Toby cried out in anger. His two Orc bodyguards moved forward, their hands fastened around the handles of their swords. The Orcs began to draw their weapons when they suddenly noticed Amir and Sasha seated several feet away. Their beady green eyes were fixated on the ball of fire Sasha was toying with in her hands.

"You Bosmer are _carnivores_, right Toby? So how do you like your meat?" Sasha asked still playing with the flame. "_Medium rare or well done?_"

The Bosmer motioned for his Orcs to stay their weapons. Satisfied that Sasha had made her point, Dayan now assumed control of the conversation.

"I am the best because I work with the best, don't ever forget that. Treat me like dirt if you wish, but please do not speak ill of my teammates. You give us work and we make you money so you can pay for _exceptional _personal protection and _delicious _crabmeat. Everybody wins. So tell me my man, what work do you have for me today?"


	5. Chapter 4 Part 1

**4**

"_I fail to see what this has to do with me. Did something happen on this particular job?" _

_Sasha paused before she answered. _

"_Yes Sean. It was the last contract Dayan's Riders would ever work."  
__  


* * *

_  
"I don't like it boss, even if the pay is good."

"I know Jayred, but if you haven't noticed lately were a little low on coin."

"Yea but killing _civilians_ is different than killing like, soldiers or mercenaries or something!"

"It's not like your ass is getting into _Aetherius_ anyway. You'll be shoveling Daedra dung with the rest of us in _Oblivion_ or _gods know where_." Toji countered.

Jayred didn't reply to the comment, but the team knew what he was feeling – _guilt_. As the years passed under Dayan's leadership, the contracts they accepted were becoming less brutal towards the innocent. Like Jayred mentioned, killing soldiers and other mercenaries who possessed means of self defense was not as emotionally difficult to deal with. This latest job would test the group's new found collective conscience.

"We all have things in our past that we're not proud of." Amir interrupted. "You all trust my brother and I to keep the money flowing in and the law off our backs – that is our responsibility. The Riders, our team, is known for _doing the dirty_. If we want to stop, that is a decision best made by everyone in the group."

"You saying we should vote on it?" Sasha was surprised by this.

Dayan ran the Riders with the precision of an elite military unit. The team trusted Amir and Dayan to make good decisions, not popular ones. Dayan knew this was the hallmark of a successful team and strong leadership. Once the "popular voice" came into play, a breakdown of group cohesion was sure to follow. The team all shared Sasha's concern and turned to Dayan for his judgment.

"Dayan, I'm with you either way. I just…"

"Was concerned Jayred, I know." Dayan finished. "Our mission is the destruction of an ebony mine. Several people, civilian workers of all different races will die by our hands. The mine is to be torched and equipment destroyed. We are to make our attack on the mine look as if it were committed by the native Argonians of the _Red Club tribe_. This is what Toby has charged me with and so it shall be done. _Riders always get the job done._"

Dayan stood up from the table his team was gathered around. His face was serious and calm but inside his gut wrenched with guilt and his heart ached.

"This will be our last mission in Argonia. After this contract we will leave the southern provinces and move north to establish a new client base in Skyrim and High Rock."

The decision, while painful, gave hope to the Riders. Leaving the southern provinces after nearly a decade would help put the dark past behind them as the Riders began a new, more honorable future.

* * *

**29 Midyear 3E427, Thirty-three miles east of Murkwood**

Dayan struggled to keep himself from sliding down the muddy slope. On their second day of travel, a fierce storm doused the central swamps of Argonia with inches of rainwater and had since not stopped. Day and night the Riders traveled to the ebony mines through this torrential rain, making a three day journey almost twice as long. In one sense this provided an advantage for the team; most likely operations at the site would halt during inclement weather. This would make it easier for the Riders to locate all of the personnel in the mines. Although Dayan didn't like to think about it, he would be forced to kill everyone at the excavation site if he were to convince the investigating officials the attack had been carried out by _Red Club natives_.

The Riders held their position below the crest of a hill overlooking the complex. The downpour of rain lessened to a light drizzle though it made little difference. All of Dayan's clothes and equipment were completely soaked. The Redguard wiped some rainwater from his eyes and peeked above the hill hoping to catch a glimpse of the site.

Dayan was startled when Roe and Elgamil appeared in front of him.

"Hello Dayan! Oh my you scared me! You shouldn't do that you know because I tend to do terrible things when I get surprised. Unless of course it's something _kinky_ and_ fun_ like when Toji and I are in bed and he makes me –"

"For goodness sake Elgamil _please!_"

The Bosmer giggled. Roe smiled just a bit.

Silence.

"I think it is going to rain again." Elgamil looked towards the approaching gray storm clouds.

Dayan rubbed his temples.

"Roe, can you please tell me what you saw down there?"

"Silly Dayan, you know Roe can't talk. At least I don't think he can. We communicate using an ancient Bosmer method of communication."

Roe nodded.

"See, that means _yes. _Anyway, everyone at the mine is dead."

Dayan was surprised, and the comment caught the attention of Sasha and Toji who were crouching nearby.

"_All of them?_" Dayan repeated.

Roe supported this report with a single nod of the head.

"Are they still there, whoever did this?"

Roe shook his head no.

"He says _no._" Elgamil translated.

Dayan was concerned that Toby was setting up the Riders to take the blame for this catastrophe. If he found this to be the case, Dayan would be paying the Bosmer an unfriendly visit in the near future. The Redguard crawled to the top of the hill and signaled for his team to come to their feet. Using hand motions, he motioned the Riders to approach the excavation site with caution.

Dayan sheathed his sword and retrieved and loaded his bow. The Riders moved down the muddy hillside in a shoulder to shoulder line, spaced ten to fifteen feet apart from one another. The hillside was bare, covered in tree stumps. Vegetation was usually first to go in order to build wooden beam supports for the mine shafts. A few trees still remained, though there branches were cut and the bark was peeled away like the skin of an orange.

Towards the base of the hill Dayan caught his first sight of the mining complex. The rain had long since extinguished the fires set by the attackers, but the black charred remains of equipment and bodies scattered the site. At first it was hard to discern the attackers from their victims, as a majority of the dead were Argonian. The complex was large, consisting of several tents built near a large hole in the ground. Dayan suspected this to be the main shaft leading to the ebony mineral deposits. The shaft was covered with an even bigger canvas tent.

Amir, Mogakh and Jayred split off from the group to investigate the workers' dwellings, while Roe and Elgamil investigated what looked to be the foreman's station. Toji, Sasha and Dayan headed straight for the mine shaft. Along the ground in front of them were numerous bodies, heads crushed in, arms and legs broken and severed. There were fewer bodies found around the entrance to the shaft. Dayan assumed that the perpetrators disposed of several workers by tossing them down the open hole. Sasha removed a torch from its mount on a nearby pillar, ignited the cloth and tossed it down the shaft. Toji, Sasha and Dayan watched as the flame fell before eventually disappearing.

"Long way down." Toji commented.

Dayan did not reply but turned his attention back to the open area of the complex.

"Dayan, look." Sasha pointed to a portion of the complex they had missed on the way in. A prearranged mound of bodies surrounded a tall tree branch stood on its end like a flagpole. On the tip of the branch was the skull of an Argonian, ceremoniously painted red.

"It's the calling card of the Red Club." Toji informed. "A warning."

"Are you saying the Red Club _actually attacked this Site?_"

"Could be, or at least that's what they might want us to think."

"You think…Toby set us up to take the fault for this massacre?" Sasha inquired.

"I wouldn't put it past him."

"Then maybe we should leave before the _law _makes an appearance." Jayred suggested.

"No. By now Toby has probably informed the Imperial garrison at Helstrom. We need evidence of what happened here to prove our innocence."

"Then let's be quick about it."

Dayan and Sasha rummaged through the bodies of the dead workers, looking for signs of looting or clues about the attack. After several minutes of searching, the drizzle of rain intensified to a steady downpour.

"Boss! Over here!" Toji cried out from a few feet away. The Khajiit was hunched over the body of a dead Argonian. "This is not a worker." He commented.

"So?"

"He's not Red Club either."

"How can you tell?"

Toji carefully flipped the Argonian's body over off his belly.

"I'm somewhat familiar with the Red Club. They aided my people during a tribal war we fought against the Bosmer some years ago. Three Argonians from the Red Club trained us in prisoner snatching and guerilla warfare; they're very good at it."

"Your point?"

Toji clasped the Argonian's head in his hands.

"The Red Club tattoo and pierce their faces with stones and black ink when they reach ten years of age; a rite of passage. As you can see, this Argonian, dressed in loincloth to trick us he into thinking he is a _tribal_, has no tattoos. He's also clearly older than ten years in age."

Since Toji had kicked the moon sugar addiction his usefulness as a cultural expert as well as his prowess in combat proved invaluable on countless occasions.

"This is brutal even, for Toby. What does he get out of all this?" Toji asked.

"Coin. In three days, what happened here will be the talk of the Empire - how the barbaric tribes of Argonia massacred an entire mining colony. Toby gets us to frame the natives and the Legions take them out. Companies will pay for personal protection forces - mercenaries owned and operated by Toby's cliental."

_Everybody wins_.


	6. Chapter 4 Part 2

Roe and Elgamil called for their team to join them underneath the canvas tent covering the shaft entrance.

"Look what Roe found!"

Roe handed the Redguard a thick ledger labeled _Atronach Excavations Inc. Site 11_. He quickly thumbed through the pages, gathering all sorts of information – foreman's notes, problems with the initial dig, accounting logs, small diagrams and a worker's roster.

"Sasha," Dayan began. "I count fifty-three personnel including the foreman listed on this roster. Get the others and begin taking accountability of all the bodies. Separate the Argonians into their own pile until we can discern the workers from the attackers. Anyone unaccounted for could be a hostage. If that's the case then we have witnesses that can testify to our innocence."

Sasha obeyed and led Elgamil to the closest pile of bodies.

"Toji, Roe, you're going to have to go down the shaft and count how many bodies you see. Toji, you work the line for Roe."

Roe nodded, not muttering so much as a complaint about descending into the dark mine shaft.

* * *

One hour passed since they first arrived.

"How are we coming Amir?" He asked his brother.

"We're just about done. I got Elgamil and Mogakh searching the surrounding woods for anybody we may have missed."

"What's the count?"

Amir looked down and analyzed the notes he made in the ledger.

"Twenty-seven workers accounted for, plus thirteen Argonian bodies."

_That leaves thirteen more bodies unaccounted for. Maybe Roe is having better luck down the mine shaft_ Dayan thought.

"Toji! What's Roe doing?"

"He's coming up now!" The Khajiit roared back.

Dayan walked out from underneath the tent. The team was able to get a reprieve from the constant downpour underneath the large overhang covering the shaft. Dayan resented having to get wet again. As he moved along the tree line, the rainwater penetrated down his shirt and onto his skin. The water was cold and felt like steel.

"_In the name of the Emperor, I order you to halt._"

Dayan couldn't believe it, his heart stopped. _I guess it wasn't rainwater on my back he realized_. The Redguard could feel the Legion soldier press the blade point harder against him. Conceding defeat he raised his hands hopefully high enough so that his teammates would know something was wrong.

"_Order your troops to stand down._"

He paused.

"_Do it!_" The voice commanded in a loud whisper.

"We're busted guys! Drop the weapons!" Dayan nonchalantly informed his team.

From the crest of the hill thirty Legion foresters emerged where only hours before the Riders had been waiting to commit mass murder. Dayan took comfort in his decision to surrender. It spared his team a nasty fight. Unlike conventional troops, Dayan recognized these soldiers to be from the elite _11__th__ Jungle Cohort_. Ironically, Dayan had spent six months training the 11th in guerilla warfare during his time in the Legion. The soldiers did not wear heavy steel armour or carry heavy claymores or longswords like most Legionnaires. Standard load-out for a soldier of the 11th was fur or leather armour pieces camouflaged green and brown with a mandatory longbow and choice of either shortsword or war axe.

"Forward! Move!" The voice ordered.

Dayan turned around and faced his captor. The soldier's face was covered in mud and ash, decorated in a camouflage pattern. Behind the soldier pointing a shortsword at his throat, Dayan could see that the entire cohort, 150 men strong, was arriving on the scene. The soldier grabbed Dayan by his collar and pushed him underneath the tent where the remaining Riders were laying down their weapons.

Several uneasy minutes passed as the 11th Cohort carefully swept the area looking for signs of enemy reinforcements. _Just as I taught them_ Dayan critiqued proudly. Sasha managed to scoot her way next to Dayan.

"_Roe is still down the shaft._" She whispered.

Dayan tried not to look panicked, hoping that Roe would not cause any unnecessary bloodshed. He was interrupted by an approaching entourage of Cohort officers. A soldier clad in dark chainmail armour approached the Riders who were seated on the floor. Dayan recognized the rank insignia to be that of a _Commander_. It was difficult to stand with his hands tied behind him, but Dayan managed to come to his feet.

"Sir! _Platoon Sergeant Dayan Lightfoot_, 1st Battalion, 7th Legion." Dayan reported using his full name and rank. "_Retired._" He added.

The Commander removed his helmet and scanned over the Riders before catching Dayan's gaze. He stepped closer towards the Redguard.

"Last time I checked, the 7th was in Hammerfell, Sergeant. You're a ways away from home. Mind telling me what you're doing here?"

Unfortunately Dayan wasn't the best at making things up on the spot. He quickly tossed around some ideas in his head.

"They are my personal security detail Commander." Sasha piped in.

"And you are…"

"Sasha Arobar, daughter of _Councilman Miner Arobar_ of _House Redoran_."

Even Dayan was surprised at this comment. The Dunmer's life before the Riders was regulated to speculation.

"What are you doing in Black Marsh milady?"

"My father has plans to establish an inter-provincial ebony trade and has sent me as an emissary to several known companies involved in mining. We were told of Atronach Excavations' findings here and arrived only hours ago to find the site destroyed and the workers all killed."

"We believe the attack was carried out by Argonian natives of the Red Club tribe. As you can see, before your troops arrived my team was compiling a tally of the workers' bodies compared to a roster we found – to see if any hostages were taken." Dayan added.

The Commander thought over the validity of their testimony.

"Why are you dressed in combat gear milady?" The Commander asked.

"I may be the daughter of a Councilman, but I am well aware that forests of Argonia _are extremely dangerous_." Sasha answered not missing a beat.

The Commander again pondered to himself before he relaxed. He motioned for a soldier to cut the binds around Sasha's wrist.

"I apologize if my men have mistreated you. My name is William Coffee, Commanding Officer of the 11th Jungle Cohort, 5th Legion."

"Will you free my men Commander?" Sasha asked.

Dayan tried to hold back a smile as he silently relinquished command of the Riders to Sasha. Several other soldiers helped the Riders to their feet and cut their bindings. A Nord soldier cut Dayan's bindings. The Redguard almost cried out in surprise as the Nord turned and faced him, offering a slight smile. Somehow during the time from when the Legion soldiers first arrived, Roe had managed to escape from the shaft and acquire the uniform of an 11th Cohort soldier. Ash and dirt disguised his face and a leather helmet hid his disfigured ear. If the Legionnaires detected Roe as an imposter, the Riders would probably be killed.

Sasha and Commander Coffee walked away from the group as Sasha explained the future plans for House Redoran's ebony trade. Dayan didn't know if it was true, but she was convincing nonetheless. For several minutes the Riders mingled with the troops. Toji even asked for Sasha's permission to walk the Commander through the site and explain the mystery of the Argonian's dressed as Red Club tribesman.

Sasha and the Commander finally shook hands and parted ways. Commander Coffee ordered his Platoon Sergeant to assemble his troops. Dayan hurriedly gathered his own team, informing them of Roe's predicament.

"Good work Sasha." Dayan praised.

"Yes _milady_, I didn't know I was working for royalty!" Amir joked, sparking a few chuckles from the group.

"Shut it Amir, we got bigger problems. Roe is posing as a Cohort soldier."

All at once the team looked up from their huddle and tried to pick him out of the line-up.

"Oh there he is!_ I'm so proud of him!_" Elgamil pointed.

Jayred slapped the Bosmer's hand down.

"You're gonna get him killed!"

"Nah uh!"

"Yes!"

"Well I don't care what you all have to say, I'm so proud of him. _I wonder what he did with the body?_"

"If they figure him out we're all dead."

"We need to leave, get as far away as we can."

"And leave Roe?"

"He can track us, I'm sure of it."

"What about Coffee's men?" Jayred asked.

"They're going after the Red Club, south of here." Sasha informed.

"So now's a good time to head north, eh boss?"

"Across the border into Morrowind."

"It's too far, we move southeast to Archon." Mogakh suggested. "Port city. We can get a vessel there."

Silence.

"Sounds good. Let's make haste." Dayan approved.

* * *

**Seven hours later**

"He should've found us by now. We're moving too fast."

"He'll find us, don't worry." Dayan reassured the Dunmer.

According to Sasha, the 11th would be moving in the opposite direction, into Red Club territory presumably to pursue the culprits behind the attack on Site 11. It was unfortunate that potentially innocent Argonians would take the blame for Toby Pilson's actions. He hadn't told his team yet, but the Riders mission was not complete until the Bosmer was dead or in Imperial custody.

"What are we going to do about Toby?" Sasha always had a knack for reading Dayan's mind.

"He tried to set us up." The Redguard let out a long sigh. "I can't leave here knowing he's still alive."


	7. Chapter 5 Part 1

**5**

"You see the Orc at the bar?"

"The one that's been eyeing us all night? Yeah, why?"

"I recognize him. He's one of Toby's errand boys."

"You think he's here somewhere?"

"Doubtful."

"Jayred," Dayan turned towards the Nord "bring him outside."

Dayan and his team stood up from their table inside a small roadside tavern on the way to Archon. One by one they collected their weapons from the bouncer and filed outside into the warm dry night. Jayred was the last to leave, remaining at the table until Dayan left the bar. Outside, the Redguard could hear the sound of cracking wood and screaming women. From one of the windows of the tavern, the bouncer broke through the glass and landed on the ground unconscious. Several Argonian ladies rushed out from the tavern followed by Jayred clutching a pint of mead in one hand and an unconscious Orc in the other. Jayred Ice Veins gulped down the frothy beverage and disposed of the glass. He held the Orc from his belt and carried him like baggage to some nearby stables. Dayan remained at the entrance of the tavern, taking a few seconds to retrieve a tobacco pipe from his pocket and light it.

Roe was still out in the wilderness, presumably serving as a loyal soldier to his majesty the Emperor. The Redguard was more anxious than worried to see the return of his teammate. Toby Pilson had purposefully and maliciously endangered the Riders. Dayan was determined, _driven_, to find Toby and make him pay for this betrayal. _No matter the cost._ He breathed in deeply, allowing the smoke to seep its way out from his mouth as he exhaled.

There was work to be done in the stables behind the tavern.

On the ground beneath Jayred's boot lay an unconscious Orc, a large purple and blue welt was forming just above his left eye. Jayred kicked the Orc trying to wake him.

"I think he is dead." Toji remarked.

"Dammit Jayred you killed him." Amir scolded.

"He's not dead, I just busted him up real bad. _It was awesome._" Jayred chuckled.

Elgamil took her canteen and poured some water onto the Orc's face. The splashing water made him twitch and his eyes fluttered. Jayred picked him up and slammed him belly down onto the ground shoving his knee into the Orc's back. Nobody made an attempt to stop him as they all simply watched Jayred unsheathe his dagger and cut the Orc's ear off.

The Orc screamed in pain, swearing in his native tongue asking why this was happening, what had he done to deserve this and the like. Jayred turned the Orc onto his back and stuck his knee into the Orc's chest. The Nord brandished his dagger, parading it in front of his captive's face. The begging continued as Jayred caressed the blade down the Orc's neck and chest down towards his stomach.

"_Okay! Okay! For the love of Azura please no more!_" The Orc cried.

Jayred looked to Dayan for what questions he wanted answered.

"Where is Toby?" He asked in a calm monotone voice.

The Orc grunted. Dayan motioned for Jayred to cut him.

"_I don't know! I'm just a runner! I was here to meet a client! I swear!_"

Jayred sliced the Orc across his cheek.

"Who is your client?"

"_No!_ _Please no!_"

Jayred smacked him across the face.

"Tell me."

"_Jacobi Duvall! Payment for a job he did down south!" _

Dayan and Sasha exchanged glances of concern. Jacobi Duvall was one half of the infamous _Duvall Brothers, _a mercenary group known for their brutality and fondness for taking and torturing prisoners.

"A job at a mining camp?" Dayan clarified.

"_Yeah that's the one._"

"Toby set us up to take the blame for that _bastard _Jacobi's handiwork." Amir concluded.

Dayan pressed his foot into the Orc's neck. The prisoner squirmed and gasped for air but Jayred firmly held him down.

"Tell me where Toby Pilson is."

"He left Argonia three days ago!"

"Where did Toby go?" Dayan asked.

"I told you I don't know!" The Orc insisted.

Dayan believed the Orc was truthful. If he couldn't find the Bosmer who ordered the attack, he would settle for those who actually carried it out.

"You said you were meeting Jacobi?"

The Orc shook his head.

"He never comes himself. I met with one his lackeys fifteen minutes ago. I think he's camped nearby."

"Where?"

"I don't know."

Jayred sliced the Orc across his chest and abdomen. The Orc cried. Jayred clamped his hand over the Orc's mouth, muffling the screams.

Dayan repeated his question.

"_West of here on the north side of the river._ _Thirty or so men._ _Please, please no more!_"

Jayred looked at Dayan for his next orders. Dayan nodded and without a second for anyone to react, Jayred thrust his dagger in the Orc's skull. His balled fists went limp and he stopped struggling. The Nord didn't even clean off his knife before sheathing it.

* * *

The reconnaissance team returned from their scouting missing at around three o' clock in the morning. The Riders were all awake, dressed for battle and eager for retribution.

"How does it look?" Jayred inquired about the enemy position.

"They are camped across the river and they have very little cover. We keep them suppressed with arrow fire and they will eventually have to come to us. Wading across that river will slow 'em down. We can do some serious damage then." Dayan explained.

"How many enemies can we expect?"

"We're outnumbered as if that's anything new. I counted thirty-five." Dayan looked to Sasha who concurred with a nod.

"_But we're still going in?_ Right?" Jayred asked, like a child eagerly awaiting his parents' permission to open a birthday present.

The Riders waited Dayan's approval.

"We attack at sun up tomorrow."

The remainder of the early morning hours were spent in near silence. Each Rider checked over their armour and weapons as they had done thousands of times before. Dayan and Amir were dressed in their tribal garb - dark maroon and white turbans wrapped around their faces, sand coloured plated armour decorated with foreign symbols covering their bodies. Their armour was lightweight, better suited for their guerilla fighting style. This weight advantage, while at the cost of physical protection, gave them immense flexibility and speed.

All shades of red, dark purple and black decorated Sasha's _Morag Tong_ style armour. Dayan didn't think anyone else had noticed, but the Redguard was familiar with the unique style of armour and weapons used by the Dark Elf assassins known as the Morag Tong. Elgamil and Toji had similar types of protection. The Bosmer used a material called _chitin_ in her body armour while her Khajiit counterpart treated his _netch leather_ _cuirass _by boiling it in water and oil. It was no contest that, at least when they fought in the woods and jungles, Mogakh stood out the most. His shiny heavy-plated Orcish armour, horned helmet, and large circular shield made him better camouflaged as a rock. Nobody else in the group could have worn, let alone fought in this cumbersome getup. Mogakh was very strong and rarely came out of a scuffle with a scratch on him. Jayred owned no such fanciful armour and slept, ate and fought in the same _bearskin_ armour he wore since joining the Riders years before.

Amir sat quietly in meditation with his weapons laid across his lap, while Sasha was _shadow fighting _nearby, practicing her martial arts movements against invisible enemies. She moved elegantly, her eyes closed, her actions deliberate and slow. Every third or fourth step she pretended to attack an enemy with an imaginary _shock_ or _fireball_ emitted from her palms. Mogakh was nowhere to be found as usual. His pre-battle routine included going off in the woods to get himself angry. Toji and Elgamil sat together on a large fallen tree. They ate, talked and eventually Elgamil found herself napping in the Khajiit's lap. Contrary to expectations from the group Jayred "Ice Veins" sat quietly checking over his gear, playing the drawstring of his bow like an instrument.

Dayan stretched his arms and legs, already having spent several hours preparing for the attack. Confident he was ready, he turned away from the group to venture for some privacy within the woods before they departed for the Duvall camp.


	8. Chapter 5 Part 2

Once again, Dayan found himself crouched in an uncomfortable position, desperately fighting the urge to move and stretch his legs. The sun was gone behind the horizon, but the sky was still illuminated with its dying glow. Sasha was lying on her belly a few inches away, trying not to shoo away the creatures that crawled in front of her.

From their observation position among a cluster of trees, Dayan carefully took mental notes of what he saw; _Twenty…twenty one, two, three, four, men, Orc and Redguard, ten horses, four tents, five sentries, two avenues of attack._ Sasha nudged Dayan and pointed to Breton washing himself in the river. Dayan recognized him to be Zakariah Duvall. No visual confirmation was needed to locate Jacobi. He was most likely the source of the tortured screams of Argonian prisoners from a tent on the furthest end of the camp. To rush in and rescue the captives would risk exposing his team prematurely.

Unfortunately the Riders were to endure two more hours of overhearing the torture and eventual execution of the Argonians before Jacobi retired for the evening. His brother Zakariah was already asleep along with most of his troops. Dayan normally used the darkness of night as a tactical advantage to raid fixed encampments and if Roe were not been absent he might've considered the possibility, however once the alarm was sounded the Riders would immediately be overwhelmed. Using the light from the rising sun behind them, the Riders would unleash a volley of arrows into the camp. The Duvall mercenaries would have to retaliate by attacking across a river towards the bright and blinding light of the sun.

Hours passed and finally sunrise came.

* * *

A collection of scruffy looking men bathed themselves by the river while a small work party carried the bodies of the mutilated Argonians to a far end of the camp to be buried. Dayan waited for the mercenaries to begin preparing breakfast before initiating the attack.

_One cooking fire lit…and another…and a third. _

Dayan whistled, imitating the noise of a _whippoorwill_ _bird _and drew back on the drawstring of his bow. Zakariah Duvall emerged from his tent and welcomed the morning. Dayan's arrow soared through the air and caught the younger of the Duvall's in the chest. Zakariah stumbled backwards grabbing hold of the canvas door flap and pulling the entire tent to the ground. Arrows pelted the encampment and by the second volley the alarm had been sounded but the origin of the threat was not yet recognized.

More arrows. More dead mercenaries.

"There! Across the river!"

Elgamil dispatched the astute mercenary with a throwing knife a moment too late. Soon thirty men charged across the river, some fighting through the pain of two and three arrows stuck in their bodies. Zakariah Duvall defiantly led the charge with Dayan's arrow still protruding from his torso. When the last of the mercenaries entered the river, Sasha, Mogakh and Elgamil emerged on their flanks and behind them while Amir, Dayan, Toji and Jayred occupied the front.

The mercenaries now fought hand to hand with their aggressors.

Amir stood firm with his long spear jabbing and swinging at those who attempted to surround and kill him. Like an elegant dancer, Amir twirled, putting the weight of his entire body behind each strike that tore flesh and sinewy muscle from bone. A distracting blow from the shaft followed closely by a spear point strike. One mercenary, thinking himself clever, snapped Amir's spear in two with an axe but the Redguard retaliated using the two broken halves as fighting sticks. Zakariah's sucking chest wound slowed him down significantly and Amir cracked the Breton on the side of his head then on the bridge of his nose. The lifeless Breton tumbled head over heels down into the river where Sasha and Mogakh stood back to back engaging a parade of enemy mercenaries.

White water mixed with blood splashed upon the shore as if a violent sea monster thrashed about beneath the surface. Jayred kept his leg firmly down upon the back of a mercenary, pressing his face under the water while he fought two of his companions above. Jayred tossed his smaller opponents about, chucking them like used garbage for Mogakh to finish off with his claymore. With most of the Duvall mercenaries engaged in the river, Dayan led a counter-charge into the water identifying Jacobi Duvall amongst the fray. The Redguard tackled the Breton onto the riverbank but Jacobi recovered quickly, rolling and simultaneously drawing his blade. Jacobi and Dayan tore at one another like animals, each one a skilled fighter in their own art.

The woods clamored with the sound of metal. _Reinforcements! _Dayan considered calling for his Riders to retreat. Surprisingly, Jacobi withdrew from combat and took half a moment to scan the perimeter, appearing to have no knowledge of what approached. Dayan curiously did the same. Heavily clad Imperial Legionnaires emerged from the trees with bowstrings drawn and arrows loaded. Behind them was Commander Coffee's 11th Cohort prepared for battle. Commander Coffee presented himself on a horse, a silver longsword in his right hand. He pointed the sword tip at Dayan.

"Put down the weapon and surrender Sergeant! _All of you surrender!_"

Both the Riders and the Duvall mercenaries paused from fighting one another to recognize the new threat. Amir was bleeding badly from his shoulder and fought to hold his weapon on guard. Jacobi aimed the tip of his sword at Dayan, then at the Legionnaires and back to Dayan. Sasha made miniscule inconspicuous movements, positing herself advantageously for when the combat resumed. Bodies floated like logs downstream, damning the flow of water as they piled up against the rocks. Moments passed without anyone saying a word.

"You are all under arrest for the slaughter of the workers of Site 11." Commander Coffee's voice boomed. "Now I don't care if you're the daughter or son of the _Emperor himself_, you have until the count of five to place your weapons on the ground!"

The Imperial Commander hadn't begun to count when Roe made his dramatic return. The Commander watched as the head of one of his Cohort soldiers rolled across the dirt in front of him. Almost in a state of disbelief, Coffee didn't give the command for his archers to fire. Roe then expediently removed Commander Coffee from his horse, tackling him to the ground. He slammed Coffee's head into the jungle floor over and over until it became flat and disfigured in his hands. Mogakh let out a fierce battle cry and pierced his claymore deep into one of the Duvall mercenaries. The rampage continued, mercenary fighting Rider fighting Legionnaire fighting mercenary.

Arrows from the first volley of Legion archers criss-crossed the camp, Amir fell instantly with arrows in his chest and neck. Jayred took an arrow in the back, Sasha in the thigh and Elgamil in the stomach. The first volley had done significant damage, but before the Imperials could reload, _Dayan's Riders_ were upon them joined by their mutual allies/ enemies. The mercenaries charged forward into the line slicing wrists, arms, heads and faces as one after the other the Imperial archers fell dead.

Dayan and Jacobi squared off again – a reckless barrage of overhand attacks countered with kicks and punches to the midsection. Jacobi lunged his sword at Dayan who evaded but was tackled to the ground by a Legionnaire. The Redguard fought desperately with the Legion soldier clawing at his eyes and mouth. Jacobi stood over the two and sunk his sword into the back of the Legionnaire, pushing the blade through the man's back, out his chest and into Dayan's ribs. Jacobi removed his sword and kicked the lifeless body of the Legionnaire off his Redguard opponent and stood poised to finish him off. The rising sun illuminated the figures of mounted cavalrymen as they charged forward from behind the main line of Legion soldiers. An Imperial cavalryman charged ahead, lowered his lance and connected with great force breaking both Jacobi's back and the wooden lance. The last Duvall brother was tossed forward landing face first on the ground.

Dayan immediately came to his feet. The cavalryman turned his horse about, tossed his broken lance aside and drew his sword. He charged back towards the Redguard who waited for the precise moment to dodge the attack and cut at the horse's legs. The rider was thrown to the ground, too dazed to retaliate before the Redguard was upon him, tearing his helmet off and shoving a dagger into his eye socket.

Sasha unleashed a storm of fireballs, spooking the horses which threw off their cumbersome riders. Elgamil rushed to the fallen Legionnaires and eliminated them with an arrow shot to the head. Mogakh wildly swung his battle axe, crunching straight through the iron armour of the soldiers. Their strikes, blows, cuts and swings were methodical and repetitive. Elgamil stood over the body of a dismounted rider, poised to launch an arrow shot into the enemy's face when a silver claymore impacted her rib cage. Her body folded around the cut and she was thrown off her feet. It took Toji a few minutes to realize what had happened to his companion. He soon caught glimpse of her lying motionless on the jungle floor. As the battle raged around him, Toji slowly walked towards his fallen comrade and dropped to his knees. Roe provided cover, fending off attacks while Toji clutched lovingly onto Elgamil's lifeless body. Roe was knocked to the ground just moments away from being killed when the Khajiit let loose into a rage reminiscent of his moon sugar days.

The Legion soldier poised to kill Roe was decapitated with a single slice of Toji's scimitar. The Khajiit cried a painful saddened roar and pushed forward breaking the Legion lines. Faces were peeled away, throats torn open and body parts thrown all about. Sasha ignited a battling group of Duvall mercenaries and Legionnaires in a firestorm so large that for a moment it seemed as if it was midday. Bewildered at this vicious counterattack, the Legionnaires fell back to defensive positions, unable to halt their mounting casualties.

An arrow sliced through the air and cut open Dayan's cheek. A wave of anger the Redguard never had experienced before suddenly enveloped him. He went frantic, _borderline insane_. It felt like the gods themselves removed his spirit from his physical body and Dayan sat watching from up on high as he led a battle charge, swiping heads, cleaving limbs, crushing faces with his bare hands. Dayan took almost no interest in self preservation, not bothering to parry or block, swiping at major body parts, throwing kicks and punches when he could. He found himself minutes later with no more enemies to fight. The Duvall Brothers and their ruthless band of mercenaries were dead and the Legionnaires defeated. The Riders were victorious.

Dayan allowed his mind to focus for a moment and instantly the pain of his wounds shot up his nerves. He had been cut numerous times across the chest, in the legs and on his face. The blood oozed from the cuts in his armour and he became nauseous. He dropped to a knee and Jayred came running to assist him, a look of panic on his face.

"Are you okay? Stay right here, I think we got them all."

He began to fade in and out of consciousness. Using his sword as a cane, he helped himself up. Dayan managed to stagger a few feet before having to stop, succumbing to his overwhelming pain. Sasha quickly came to his aid, carrying him from underneath his arms.

"Where is Mogakh!" She asked.

"_Amir_." Dayan asked for his little brother.

"Amir's dead, where is Mogakh?"

Dayan pointed to where he had seen the Orc last. Jayred found him moments later, sprawled in the middle of seven dead Legion soldiers with four spears and a claymore protruding from his torso. Sasha carried Dayan back to their camp and laid him down on a bedroll before he finally lost consciousness.


	9. Chapter 6

**6 **

**Five days later**

Archon was the busiest port in Argonia, a conglomeration of all the seafaring races in Tamriel. It was urbanized, sophisticated and up to par with major cities like Anvil or Daggerfall. Cyrods, Bretons, Nords, Khajiit and Argonians went about their business loading and offloading ships as merchants barked orders for passerby's to purchase their items. Dayan was an able scout, but in this city he felt truly lost in the wilderness. Next to him stood the surviving members of the Dayan's Riders. In front of them was uncertainty, a world they were not prepared for. In front of them was a ship, Toji's ride to Valenwood.

"Elgamil wanted to be buried in her home village outside of Elden Root. I promised if I was still alive and she was to die, that I would ensure this would be carried out." Toji had explained.

They watched as the coffin containing the Bosmer's body was carefully loaded onto the ship _The Star of the North_. It was a Nord trading vessel headed for Summerset Isle. For Toji it was a chance to get away from the fight, to stretch his legs and breathe a sigh of relief on the open ocean.

Dayan, Roe, Jayred and Sasha waited for the Khajiit to be out of eyes sight before turning to leave. Mogakh was always a simple individual stating that if he were to die in battle he wished to be buried on the field on which he fell. In a hastily held but not unimportant ceremony, Dayan buried his good friend Mogakh gro-Oram next to the body of his brother Amir. Despite the tremendous loss the Riders had suffered at the hands of the Legion, he was still determined to find and kill Toby Pilson. Unofficially, illegally, whether one or one hundred more Imperial soldiers or mercenaries stood in his way, the mission had not died with his brother. Sasha, Jayred and Roe were going with him. The Riders were all but disbanded; three members killed and a fourth, Dayan, narrowly avoiding a similar fate.

Roe later informed the surviving members of the Riders what transpired after their departure from Excavation Site 11. Toby Pilson informed the Legion garrison at Helstrom of the Riders' mission to attack the mining camp and sent Commander Coffee to arrest them. It seems Dayan had gone too far insulting Toby and as punishment he would take the blame for the Duvall Brothers'massacre. Roe remained with the 11th Cohort looking for an opportune time to rejoin the Riders. Roe was visibly upset with not having been able to warn Dayan earlier about the impending ambush.

"_I'm sorry._"

These were the first words Roe spoke in Cyrodilic. Dayan put his hand on the young man's shoulder.

"_My son_, you have nothing to be sorry for."

He embraced Dayan, Sasha and Jayred and stood with them on the docks, soaking up the warm rays from the sun. The Redguard breathed in the salty air wafted in from the _Padomaic Ocean_. Their boat for the Imperial City didn't leave for another hour.

* * *

"Did you ever find him? Toby Pilson?"

"Yes we did. Toby returned here to his comfort zone in the City He was living in the _Talos Plaza District_. We found him, cut him up, and threw him off a bridge into Lake Rumare with a rock tied around his waist."

Sean was pleased with the Bosmer's fate. Somehow hearing of this horrible death brought closure to a story with a sad ending.

"What did you all do then?"

"We went our separate ways. Dayan returned home to the _Alik'r _and I to Morrowind just in time to deal with the _Tribunal _and all their nonsense. Jayred disappeared for a while but I see him every now and again."

Sasha and Sean stood outside the great coliseum of the Imperial Arena, one of the few vices permitted under Balderic's rule. Here the two were relatively safe to speak freely. The Enforcers typically kept a low presence in the district.

"Thank you for sharing this story with me Sasha. I know it was several years ago but I am truly sorry for the loss of your friends."

Sasha bowed her head slightly.

"Not to be rude however, I came to meet the Hero of Kvatch. Now not only do I have a _very good friend _of mine telling me he has seen the man's grave, but a complete stranger has confirmed this story."

"I could be lying." Sasha jested.

"I don't think you are. How do you know the truth about Ulysses? What does your story have to do with me?"

"Not just you Sean, it's more complicated than that. Your investigation would not just expose Balderic and his trickery. It would also uncover a great and terrible secret."

"Tell me Sasha, _please!_ What secret?"

"To find the answers you seek, look no further than that book in your knapsack_._"

Sean reached into the outermost pocket of his pack and retrieved the maroon book given to him by Andronicus.

"You're talking about _The Reachman_?" He laughed.

Sasha nodded.

"That's not possible, it's _just a tall tale!_

"You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss _The Reachman _as entirely false. Roe can _do things_, amazing things to this day I still can't understand."

"_The cook__? _You actually believe _Roe_ is _**The**_ _**Reachman**_?"

Sasha was silent.

"Okay, so let's _pretend _for a second that I believe you. If Roe was a _great hero_ of the Empire, why is Ulysses our Champion? Why the cloak and dagger routine? Is it because of his past, because of the Riders?"

"No one knows of Roe and the Riders."

"Then why?"

"Because Roe didn't want to be remembered."

Sasha could tell that Sean was confused. She motioned for Sean to follow her as they paced around the Arena.

"So you want me to stop my investigation?"

"Quite the contrary Sean, I need you to succeed. Without Roe, we have no hope of defeating _Bolverk_." Sasha's tone of voice was the most serious it had been all night.

"Bolverk?" The name was unfamiliar to him.

"General of the armies of Skyrim. High Chieftain of the _Three Clans_."

"What about Balderic?"

"Balderic is no threat to anyone but himself. Madness has overcome him and he cannot see that in a few months time, Bolverk will lead the Nords to the gates of the Imperial City and proclaim himself Emperor of a _new united Tamriel_."

The young author could scarcely comprehend what he was hearing. He believed every word.

"My friend, the one who discovered Ulysses' tomb, is Darius Berengeur son of Peter Berengeur." Sean was now eager to share everything that he knew with the Dunmer. "He is confident if we expose Balderic's Ulysses as a fake, it will garner more soldiers to his cause."

"If the Knights of the Black Wolf had a hundred thousand men it would all be for naught. Bolverk commands a power greater than any number of soldiers, the likes of which Tamriel has not known for an Era. The provinces cannot stand against the might of the Three Clans."

"And Roe can?"

Sasha nodded.

"Then where is he? Why has he not come to our aid?"

"I haven't seen Roe for many years. As to why he has not come, I cannot say. I know not if he even still lives. Please Sean, help me find Roe."

_Could she really think that Roe and the Reachman are the same person? That Andronicus is right and the Na'Ysmir is real? _He took little time considering the options.

"I'll need any additional information about where Roe might have gone." Sean finally answered.

The elderly Dunmer smiled in relief. With scrutinizing eyes she examined the young author from head to toe her face wincing in disapproval.

"There is only one place to go when you need information, but first you will need a change of clothes."


	10. Epilogue

**17 First Seed 4E46, Office of Faith and Good Conduct, Imperial City**

"You come highly recommended from House Redoran. They detailed how essential you have been in _routing _the insurgency in Vvardenfell."

"Thank you _Seneschal_."

Sir Duncan Almeric of Tyre eased himself into the chair behind his large mahogany wood desk. Two Dunmer were seated opposite him. The doors to his office were closed and locked, the whicker shades drawn shut obscuring the moonlight. A small candle balanced carefully in a saucer on his desk gave poor illumination.

"You assignment here is at my behest. You work directly for me now which means your orders come from_ only_ me."

"Yes sir." The two men replied in unison.

"This isn't the _Morag Tong_ anymore. There are no Honorable Writ's. Any order I give you is in the best interest of the Dunmer people, the Empire and is sanctioned by the Office. Are you ready to serve your Empire?"

The two Dunmer nodded.

"Two of my Enforcers have been found in the Arboretum, killed during an arrest attempt yesterday evening. The man they were pursuing is of special interest to the Office. He is a heretical author who professes lies and seeds dissent among the people. His _majesty_ the Emperor wants him to stand trial and receive his just punishment however I am not so lenient. He is responsible for the murder of two of my men and he will pay for this crime with his life. Find Sean Finn and bring me back his heart."


End file.
